Shinma in the Feudal Age?
by StarBlaze666
Summary: AU A Shinma that Miyu is about to seal reveals a very unique power: the ability to send the Guardian into the far past. But what it doesn't count on is the Vampire Princess meeting up with everyone's favorite hanyou, Inuyasha, and co. VPM/IY C/O
1. Surprises

            Miyu held a flame in her hand, ready to send the fish-like Shinma back into the darkness. Larva and Shiina stood behind her, ever ready to help and protect the Guardian. "I will not have you cause trouble in my new town. Be ready, Shinma." She prepared to throw the flame, but the fishy biped threw back his head and laughed, revealing needle-like teeth. This Shinma was a pasty-looking green, with webbed hands and feet, big black eyes, and gills. It wasn't exactly the most attractive Shinma they had ever faced.

            Miyu narrowed her golden eyes. "What is so funny?" she demanded.

            "What a quaint picturrre you thrrree make," he said, hissing his sibilants, "the Guarrrdian and herrr two little ssserrrvantsss." Larva narrowed his eyes behind his mask. He didn't know what this Shinma's game was, but he knew it couldn't be good. "Togetherrr forrreverrr, isss that not ssso? But, isss it not the Guarrrdian'sss dessstiny to be alone forrr eterrrnity? Then…why don't you jussst call me a ssserrrvant of fate." An ominous black cloud emitted from his mouth.

            "No, Miyu!" Shiina cried, his large yellow eye exposed. He knew what that cloud was, and what it would do. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped onto the vampire princess's shoulder as the cloud engulfed them both.

            Within moments, the cloud had dispersed, Miyu and Shiina nowhere to be seen. Larva stared at the spot where they had stood in horror. "Miyu…"

            He looked back at the Shinma, his anger smoldering. "What have you done to them?" he demanded. The Shinma only grinned.

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            The dog hanyou, Inuyasha, grinned ferally at the youkai in front of him. "You want the Shikon shards, eh? That's good, I needed some exercise."

            "Be careful!" Kagome called from where she stood, a few yards away. She clutched her bow tightly, just in case Inuyasha would need her help.

            "Feh," he scoffed. "I can take care of this one, no sweat. You worry too much, Kagome."

            "Hmph. He doesn't have to be so arrogant all of the time," Kagome said disgustedly. "If he wasn't just about to fight, I'd have half a mind to tell him to S.I.T!"

            "Don't let him get to you, Kagome-sama," Miroku said sagely. "This is the way Inuyasha has always been, and this is the way he will always be."

            The small kitsune youkai, Shippou, jumped onto Kagome's shoulder, his fluffy tail twitching. "I agree with Kagome. Why does Inuyasha always have to be so mean?"

            Inuyasha leapt at his opponent, raising his claw to strike the other youkai…

            …as it burst into flames. 

            Inuyasha fell back, holding up his arm to protect his face from the blaze. The youkai shrieked in agony as the flames devoured it. _Damn_, the hanyou thought. _If those flames reach the trees, we'll have a hell of a time getting out of this forest. What the hell happened here, anyway?_ But to Inuyasha's surprise, the flame did not spread; it died as soon as there was nothing left of the youkai except its ashes.

            As Inuyasha lowered his arm, he saw a young girl- certainly she could be no older than Kagome- standing not far from him. She was strange, though Inuyasha debated whether or not she was stranger than Kagome. She wore a short, white kimono that was tied with a wide purple sash and a large bow in the back. Her brown hair was all gathered to the left side of her head. It was wrapped into a bun there, with a long tail hanging from it. It almost looked as though she had forgotten to finish putting her hair up, save for the red ribbon entwined in it. She had a matching ribbon on her right foot and wore no other covering on her feet. Inuyasha had the uncanny feeling that her strange, golden eyes missed nothing. A strange pink beast sat on her shoulder.

            The hanyou took this all in within a matter of seconds. "Who are you?" he demanded of the stranger. "Did you send that flame?"

            When the black cloud had dispersed, Miyu and Shiina had found themselves in an unfamiliar forest, behind a pair of- well they _looked_ like Shinma- fighting. The silent one had felt evil; the dog-eared one, well, he felt almost neutral to her. So she sent the evil one to the darkness and left the dog-eared one to question. He didn't seem very pleased with her help.

            "Who are you? Did you send that flame?" he insisted.

            Miyu ignored his questions and asked one of her own. "Are you a Shinma?" But before he had a chance to say anything, his companions came.

            "Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, running towards him, Miroku and Shippou close behind. "Are you all right? We saw the fire, and- oh!" Kagome had spotted Miyu. "Are you the one who sent the flame?" She bowed slightly to the vampire. "We thank you for your help. Right, Inuyasha?" She gave the hanyou a significant look.

            He only crossed his arms and looked away. "Feh. Speak for yourself, Kagome. I could have defeated that youkai by myself."

            Kagome finally had enough of his arrogance. "SIT!" Inuyasha slammed to the ground.

            "A youkai, huh?" Shiina mused. That fascinated Miroku; how could something speak if it had no mouth? Kagome and Inuyasha, as usual, were too busy quarreling to notice. "You shouldn't have wasted your energy, Miyu. The youkai are demons as well, but of a much lesser power than Shinma."

            "Well then Shiina, I didn't waste much energy, did I?"

            "No, I guess not. But it's funny. I remember hearing that all the youkai died out a very long time ago."

            Miyu scratched between his ears. "You are forgetting the cloud. Who knows where, or when, that Shinma sent us." She smiled slightly. "Well if there are only youkai here, it'll be that much easier to find Larva, or he find us."

            "Whaddya mean, 'only youkai'?" Inuyasha said indignantly, standing up and brushing himself off. He directed an evil glare at Miyu.

            "The Guardian has more important things to worry about than inferior demons," Shiina told him importantly.

            "Shiina!" Miyu scolded.

            "Sorry."

            Miyu turned to Inuyasha. "If you will please tell us where, and when, we are, we will get out of your way."

            "I still wanna know what that thing meant by 'inferior demons,'" Inuyasha demanded, his eyes narrowed.

            Miroku pushed in front of the hanyou and grabbed Miyu's hands. "We shouldn't bother this lovely, young lady with such boring questions. Of course we will help you in anyway possible, miss."

            Shiina bristled. "Hey, hands off, human. We don't need the sort of help you have in mind."

            Miyu stepped back away from Miroku. "Perhaps it seems we should find somewhere to talk. It doesn't seem that I will be able to leave without answering your questions."

            Shippou climbed up Miyu's arm and sniffed at Shiina. "What are you?" the kitsune asked, studying Shiina.

            Miyu plucked the small youkai off of her arm. "Maybe we should go and talk in Kaede-bachan's hut," Kagome suggested.


	2. New Alliances

Larva grabbed the fish Shinma by its neck. "I'll ask you again," he growled, "what did you do to them?"

"I sssent them to the farrr passst, Wesssterrrn Shinma. A placsse wherrre even you cannot find them. A pity; the porrrtal wasss meant forrr the Guarrrdian alone, but one sssmall ssserrrvant cannot help herrr overrrmuch."

Disgusted, Larva beheaded the Shinma. _There must be a way that I can get to the time period that they are in, some gate that the Shinma was able to tap into,_ he thought to himself. _There_ must _be._

And with that last thought, he faded out of sight.

* * *

Miyu sipped the tea that Kaede had set out for her. "I have heard tell of your Shinma, though only in stories," the old woman said, settling herself next to Kagome. "The demon-gods, some call them. And I have heard of the one who defeats them, and protects humankind: the Guardian."

Miyu set her cup down. "I could care less what happens to the humans. It is my duty and destiny to send stray Shinma back to the darkness. And I will continue to do so until the very end."

"That sounds very...foreboding and morbid," Kagome said, eyes wide.

Miyu smiled slightly. "Did you think that fighting Shinma would be all romance and adventure?"

"Just like a human," Shiina sniffed.

Miyu scratched between his ears. "Hush, Shiina." She looked back at Kagome. Kagome, as usual, was wearing a school uniform. "You're not from here," Miyu remarked. It wasn't a question.

"No, I'm from...well, I guess you could call it the future. I come here through the bone-eater's well. It connects this time with the well in my family shrine."

A well that connects the two time-periods? This might very well (A/N pun **NOT** intended) be her ticket home. Miyu stood up. "I would very much like it if you could show me this well."

* * *

Larva had not needed to blend in with humans for a very long time- not since he had met Miyu, that was for sure. But now, as he moved through the crowded streets, his need was more than justified. He needed to find someone who knew of a passageway to the far past, and he couldn't do that lurking in the shadows, wearing a white mask and an enveloping black robe.

Granted, Larva could never actually _blend_ in anywhere, but in a loose white shirt, black pants, a black jacket, and black gloves to cover the true nature of his hands, he looked little more than human. A drop-dead _gorgeous_ human, though, with his silver-blue locks, crimson eyes, white, white skin, and the body and face of a young god, but that couldn't be helped.

Ignoring stares from females both young and old, Larva turned into one of those new-age, mystic shops. This one, he had been assured by serious practitioners, was not one of those that carried only what was "hip" about the art. This was a serious shop with an owner who knew many of the so-called myths and legends that were actually true. Larva hoped that one of those myths would be the one that he was looking for.

The bell jingled softly as Larva entered the shop. A woman looked up from the counter calmly. "So you have come."

* * *

Miyu looked uncertainly at the Bone-Eater's well. It looked and felt like a completely normal well. "All I have to do is jump in?"

Kagome nodded. "That's all that I do. But, no one who has tried has gotten through, except for myself and Inuyasha."

"It can't hurt to try." Miyu gathered Shiina in her arms and jumped into the well. When her feet touched the bottom...nothing happened.

"Well, that was disappointing," Shiina sighed. He lifted his right ear to expose his large, yellow eye. "I can see the portal, but I don't know why we couldn't get through."

"Perhaps it recognizes me as a Shinma. Nobody wants a stray Shinma escaping to a different time."

"But you're _not_ a stray Shinma, Miyu," Shiina whined. He drooped in her arms; he had really wanted to get back to their own time.

Miyu floated out of the well. Kagome, who had been waiting to see what happened, seemed very astonished at this. "You- you're not human!" she blurted out.

"Not fully, nor mostly," Miyu chided gently, landing delicately near the human. "A full human could not be a Guardian; stray Shinma are too strong. And there are too many to be all sealed away in a human's lifetime. I am half human. My father was a Shinma: a vampire, and a Guardian."

"Oh," was all that Kagome could say. Miyu began to walk back towards the village. Kagome ran up to her. "Say, you have a lot in common with Inuyasha, you know?" She grinned suddenly. "I know! You can travel with us to find the Shikon shards. Surely we'll be able to find someone who knows how to send you back. Whatta ya say, hmm? Both sides win: you can find out how to get home, and we'll have someone else to help us fight against the youkai."

"What will your friends say?"

"Oh Shippou won't mind, as long as you aren't mean to him, Miroku definitely won't mind, Sango, well, once she meets you, I'm sure she'll agree-she's taking care of something outside of the village right now- and Inuyasha, well, what does it matter what Inuyasha thinks? He'll make a big huff and say that he doesn't need help. Then we'll go off and he'll be in a funk until he kills something." Kagome shrugged. "He can be fairly predictable at times, although he'll probably be pretty mad at you for that 'only youkai' thing. C'mon, let's give the boys the news!" Kagome grabbed Miyu's hand and began to run towards the village.

* * *

"I have been waiting for you, Larva. Tell me, what danger is the Guardian in that you have deigned to show your face in the sunlight?"

Larva stared at this woman, for that's all she was: a human woman. She shouldn't have known who and what he was. Even more surprising was her knowledge of Miyu. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, miss. You know my name, but I have yet to hear yours." He saw no reason to hide the true nature of his quest from this woman; if need arose, he could kill her with very little effort on his part.

The woman smiled slightly. "My name is not important, for your business here must be for the Guardian. As you can see, my knowledge of lore is great. That, I assume, is your reason for being here."

Larva nodded. "I need to know a way into the far past." The woman favored him with a puzzled look.

"A way into the far past? I admit, that is one that I do not know much about. But come, I have many books on the subject. It is possible that I have merely forgotten. It does not do to dismiss that possibility out of hand." She entered into a private back room. Larva had no choice but to follow.

* * *

Inuyasha sat on a broad limb of a tree, his back leaning against the rough bark. Anyone who knew him could tell that he was brooding; though it would take a very powerful psychic to fathom exactly what he was thinking about.

He didn't like Miyu. The Guardian made him uneasy. And he did not like the fact that Kagome was alone with her right now. And what was all that crap about 'only youkai' and 'inferior demons.' He scowled suddenly, fiercely, frightening a villager nearby into hysterics. Worse was the fact that everyone seemed to take to her immediately: Kagome seemed to treat her like an old friend, Shippou adored her, Kaede respected her, and Miroku- well, Miroku was Miroku. The houshi treated Miyu just like he would Kagome or Sango, though with a touch more deference. It was like she was already part of the group! Inuyasha couldn't wait until Sango came back; he hoped that the youkai exterminator would be able to sympathize with his uneasiness.

Inuyasha jumped off of the tree limb and ran to the bone-eater's well. He needed to make sure that Kagome wasn't in any trouble. He had always trusted his instincts; they had never led him astray. _Except,_ a part of him nagged, _when Naraku attacked you and you thought it was Kikyo. And the time when-_

_Enough!_ he silenced himself. The point was, his instincts were right more often than not, and this Miyu character wasn't on his instinctive "ally" list- not that many _were,_ but that's besides the point. Whenever he saw her, every nerve screamed "Fight her!" Inuyasha ignored the part of him that said it might only be because of the insults earlier.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, spotting the dog hanyou. She waved to him. He sighed inwardly with relief. Kagome was fine. He eyed Miyu suspiciously, but Kagome seemed to ignore this. "Guess what?" she continued cheerfully. "Miyu's agreed to help us find the Shikon shards until she can find a way home. The well didn't work for her."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "How did she get here then, if not by the well? Her story doesn't fit."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome looked at him, horrified.

"It's all right," Miyu interjected quietly. Both Kagome and Inuyasha turned to look at her. A small smile played on the vampire's lips. "If I were in your place, I'd be just as skeptical. And I didn't exactly make a good first impression with you, Inuyasha." She proceeded to tell them about the fish-like Shinma, and the inky black cloud.

"I should have realized what was going to happen sooner," Shiina grumbled. "Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"So you see," Miyu continued, "we aren't here by any of our own devices. There's no need to get defensive."

"Feh, I only get defensive if I think there's a threat," Inuyasha scoffed, folding his arms and looking away from the vampire princess. "But if you plan to travel with us, that's your choice; I'll keep my eye on you." With that, he ran off into the trees.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome began indignantly, but Miyu interrupted her.

"It's all right," she repeated. "I think that's his way of saying that he doesn't mistrust me anymore."

"Oh," Kagome looked surprised, then smiled so wide that Miyu was afraid her head was going to split in two. "Welcome to the group! You just passed the largest obstacle." Miyu smiled back, unable to help herself.


End file.
